There are Those Moments...

This afternoon I was at school, grading papers with the Car Talk in the background.  The news that

followed Klick and Klack mentioned the the County Clerk, Kim Davis has submitted a motion to stay the recent Federal Court decision.  This is exactly the time where I always find myself physically reaching for the phone to call Dad and discuss these political oddities.  I miss that.  I need to find someone to hash these things out.

Had Dad picked up I would have expressed my disbelief that Kim Davis feels she has the right to act according to her religious beliefs.  What if my religious beliefs were that only men should vote?  Where do you draw the line when you start to discriminate between groups of people?  Where does that line end?

Visiting Erik

This past weekend Karyl and I visited Erik.  We had a great time eating out, visiting the Field Museum and helping Erik get his apartment a little more organized.  A great time...

Dinner on Friday night

Chicago as seen from the steps of the Field Museum

The top of the John Hancock Building glows
clouds...

The view to the west from our hotel room.

Finally, a wonderful mural in the Wicker Park neighborhood.

On our way to an excellent dinner at the Trencherman...

Monday, July 27

1. Driveway picture

2. Ted Cruz is being reprimanded by fellow senators for his behavior on the Senate floor.  Cruz accused Mitch McConnell of being a liar.  I certainly applaud senators for fighting to maintain civil behavior in our political institutions, and I don't mind seeing Ted Cruz getting dusted up a bit.  I also don't mind that Mitch McConnell is getting called out for being doofus.  I haven't liked the man since he came out in 2008 and said he would to everything possible to make sure newly elected President Obama would be a one term president.

3. Donald Trump is in Iowa and talking shots at Scott Walker.  I couldn't have written a better script.  Swing away my friend.

Book Review: Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick

While I was in Seattle, I stopped by the Phinney Books and bought a copy of Marcus Sedgwick's
Midwinterblood.  

Midwinderblood won the 2014 Michael Printz Award for Young Fiction.  Based on that recommendation I bought this book.  I have had lots of good luck reading other winners of the Printz Award.

The book has seven stories with the same names cropping up in each story.  There are some connections from one story to the next and some stories are more interesting than the others.  As you move from one tale to the next you travel back in time so that you are getting the backstory, or you are learning information that will be explained later.

A reoccurring theme is a flower known as the dragon flower.  Apparently different parts of this plant have different medicinal/narcotic properties that turn up to varying degrees within each story.  I haven't a clue what the flowers might symbolize.

Generally I liked the idea of seven stories that were linked, but the first story was the weakest, or most unusual, and while I was interested in the others, I am not sure I would give this a thumbs up.

On the Tex the Cat scale, I give this two paws up.

Who Are These Republicans?

Poll: Trump surges to big lead in GOP presidential race

By Dan Balz, Peyton M. Craighill

Businessman Donald Trump surged into the lead for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, with almost twice the support of his closest rival, just as he ignited a new controversy after making disparaging remarks about Sen. John McCain’s Vietnam War service, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. So apparently it is okay to make bigoted statements about Hispanics and to insult veterans who were prisoners of war.  I am trying to think of what demographic would support these type of policies. Who are these people that think these ideas make for a good president? Perhaps they are stuck in time and think in the early 1960's....The John Wayne Party..."We are white men and we don't take shit from anybody..." I don't see that as a viable world view...

The Clown Car is Full...and Other Thoughts

On Saturday, Donald Trump, stated that he didn't feel Arizona Senator John McCain was a "war hero."

Here are Mr. Trump's words, “He’s not a war hero. He’s a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.”

So Mr. Trump is shooting from the hip, and hoping that voters will get behind his candidacy based on Trump's frankness and wealth.

At this point Mr. Trump has angered many Americans with his comments about immigrants from Mexico being rapists and drug dealers, or drug runners, and now Trump is taking a shot at McCain, who was a POW for seven or eight years.

I would have to say that "shooting from the hip" is not my vision for a responsible chief executive.  That approach may work well in the business arena, but it falls short of being the measured and thoughtful type of comment that a president needs to demonstrate in negotiating with Congress and other countries.  As I look back over the last six years we now have greater health care, a deal with Iran is around the corner -- all or which would not have been accomplished without incendiary comments that divided people.

On "Newsroom" one season they referred to the Republican Party as the "clown car" because of the number of loopy candidates.  Regrettably that still seems to be the case.

Seattle - Excellent Times With Gonzo

Garden of the Red Cat.

Monday: 5:10 a.m. Karyl is up and ready to drive me to the airport and it is pouring rain.  To compound the foolishness, I managed to arrange my arrival in Seattle for 8:28 a.m.  This means that Jeff and Jodi were up at an obscene hour - with Jeff having to drop Jodi at work and then brave rush hour traffic...  Great start.

We scooped up my luggage and headed to the friendly confines of 146 N 78th where I was treated to the wonderful backyard that Jeff has worked on, assiduously weeding and watering.

Beecher's Best - Mac and cheese in a cup, with a side of root beer.

After gathering ourselves we decided to head downtown to Pikes Public Market for a little Beecher's mac and cheese.   We walked around the busy market getting cherries, cookies, and of course a couple of barbecue pork hum baos.

Young man being counseled in how to catch a thrown fish.
Good luck!

We then shopped till we dropped.  We loaded up on beer, tequila, and of course - food.










That night we had the pleasure of dining at the 74th Street Ale House and having Jen serve us excellent tacos and tasty libations.

Jeff wondering why I standing i
n the middle of Greenwood.

Over the next few days we painted a front porch - shout out here to the buffoon and Home Depot who sold us paint brushes to do the job - as opposed to using a roller, which is apparently what everyone else in the free world does.

Another highlight for me was biking around Seattle. Jodi works down at the south end of Lake Union and I had great fun accompanying her to and from work. And what is even better than the bike ride was the shots I stumbled across here and there.  

By far and away my favorite place was the Fremont Bridge where I often got to see the view of boats going in and out of Lake Union.

Fremont Bridge opening for sailboat.

Favorite shot of the trip.

My biggest missed shot was the sea plane taking off.

You can see the wash from the sea plane between
these two cabin cruisers.  Missed it.

More than the food, drink, or bicycling, what a treasure most is the opportunity to laugh, be myself, and listen to my close friend, Jeff.  I don't get the opportunities often enough and they are absolute treasures when they happen.

Special thanks to Jeff, Jodi, and Monkey for hosting me for five days.